How to get ahead in the tech jobs game

The tech sector incorporates some of the world’s most appealing jobs. Financially rewarding and creatively fulfilling, jobs in the tech sector often require complex skills and a wealth of experience to secure. It will come as no surprise that applying for jobs in the tech industry can be incredibly competitive.

Traditionally, the technology sector has been seen as growing, but recently many have started to worry that breaking into the industry is getting more difficult. The Wall Street Journal has argued that as the tech industry has grown, the number of available jobs has in fact decreased.

Luckily, there are ways you can get ahead in the tech jobs game. Here are 3 of them.

Go niche

The technology sector is rapidly diversifying. Simple web coding skills are no longer enough. Tech jobs exist in areas as unique as virtual reality, data science, design, engineering, SAP and cloud computing, and many of these areas require their own specific skillset.

To increase your chance of getting a tech job, hone in your focus on one of these areas. With this level of diversification, very few tech firms are looking for a jack of all trades.

This list of niche IT qualifications should give you some ideas if you are yet to choose a field of preference. In addition, you can find tips from industry leading companies. For example, the VR production specialists REWIND have written a guide on breaking into the VR industry.

Find a tech recruitment firm

Recruitment firms can help candidates get jobs in any industry, and tech is no different. There are countless firms and agencies dedicated to getting qualified tech workers jobs appropriate to their skillset and expertise.

Agencies such as Santiago and Digital Gurus cast a wide net, hoping to snare jobs for their clients from many areas of the technology industry. Other recruitment firms are more specific in their approach, in keeping with the previous advice point. Eursap, for example, specialise in SAP recruitment, helping candidates in that niche area with everything from interview tips to SAP CV advice.

Build a network

Learning as much as you can in one specific niche will not change the old adage that it is not what you know, it’s who you know. Who you know is more important than ever, as a 2016 study found that 85% of staff or managerial jobs are filled via networking.

With these kind of statistics in mind networking with tech professionals is essential to securing a job in the sector. Reaching out on LinkedIn is a good place to start, and retweeting or sharing relevant tech articles will allow you to create an online persona that fits the job profile you eventually want to fill.

According to Business Insider, the best way to appeal to tech employers on LinkedIn is to flesh out your profile with a comprehensive record of your skills and experience. Mozilla’s Bret Reckard adds that links to personal websites are also a bonus as they give employers a more rounded view of what a candidate is like and how they will fit in if they were to get the job.

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